The present invention generally relates to apparatus for automatically selecting and reproducing a recording medium, and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically selecting and reproducing a recording medium comprising a storing part for storing recording mediums, a reproducing device for reproducing the recording medium, and a carrying or transporting device for carrying the recording medium, wherein the storing part, reproducing device, and carrying device are all accommodated within a small space.
Various apparatus has been proposed which select and extracts one recording medium from among a plurality of recording mediums such as cassettes and cartridges stored in a storing part, and carries and loads the selected recording medium into a reproducing device, to carry out reproduction. As an example of a conventional apparatus of this type, there is an apparatus comprising a storing part designed in a form of a vertical rack, for storing the recording mediums. A carrier mechanism which searches for the selected recording medium and carries the selected recording medium in this conventional apparatus, was designed so that a main carrier body of the carrier mechanism moves horizontally together with a moving base and moves vertically along a support beam. In this apparatus, a reproducing device was provided beside the vertical rack. However, in this apparatus having the above described construction, the overall size of the apparatus is large because the projected area of the apparatus on the floor is large and the height of the apparatus is great. Furthermore, the carrier mechanism is complex because the main carrier body must be shifted horizontally and vertically. Similar deficiencies were found in other conventional apparatus of this type.